Obama seeks Afghanistan data to determine U.S. troop levels  —  Details should help president determine need  —  President Obama has asked senior officials for a province-by-province analysis of Afghanistan to determine which regions are being managed effectively by local leaders …

Republican dirty tricks in NY 23  —  A brand-new organization calling itself Common Sense in America is up with a major television ad buy in the New York special election, praising Republican Dede Scozzafava as the “best choice for progressives.”  —  At first glance, the group's ad looks like it's an endorsement of Scozzafava.

Kristol: Breaking News: Pelosi Tries to Lead Democrats off a Cliff  —  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to release the text of the Democratic health care proposal tomorrow, with the hope of bringing it to the floor as early as next Friday.  Pelosi will claim that the Congressional Budget Office …

Palin: Levi Johnston ‘Mean-Spirited,’ ‘Malicious,’ Selling ‘Body for Money’  —  ABC News' Rick Klein reports: Former Gov. Sarah Palin is blasting away at the father of her grandson, issuing a blistering statement today that impugns Levi Johnston's motives in continuing to speak out against the Palin family …

Obama Visits Returning War Dead  —  President Obama traveled to Dover Air Force Base early Thursday morning to meet with family members and pay his respects as the flag-draped coffins carrying bodies of 18 American troops killed this week in Afghanistan were returned to the United States.

CORRECTED: Lieberman Proposed Public Option In 2004, Opposes It Now  —  [CORRECTION: We have been told that Joe's program here was not properly termed a public option, but was two different concepts — an expansion of government-run health care programs for the young, extending it up to age 25 …

Why running the White House Web site on Drupal is a political disaster waiting to happen.  —  In yet another repudiation of its predecessor, the Obama administration this week migrated the White House Web site to Drupal, the popular open-source Web site management software.

Parents banned from watching their children in playgrounds... in case they are paedophiles  —  Parents are being banned from playing with their children in council recreation areas because they have not been vetted by police.  —  Mothers and fathers are being forced to watch their children …

Victory for Obama Over Military Lobby  —  When the Obama administration proposed canceling a host of expensive weapons systems last spring, some of the military industry's allies in Congress assumed, as they had in the past, that they would have the final say.

Tuesday's Elections and the Democratic Agenda  —  Losses in New Jersey or Virginia could spook Congress.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  Democratic enthusiasm for President Barack Obama's liberal domestic agenda—particularly for a government-run health insurance program …

Politicians Butt In at Bailed-Out GM  —  Montana Rep. Denny Rehberg was no fan of the $58 billion federal rescue of General Motors Co., saying he worried taxpayer money would be wasted and the restructuring process would be vulnerable to “political pressure.”  Now the lawmaker says it's his “patriotic duty” to wade into GM's affairs.

Stimulus jobs overstated by thousands  —  WASHINGTON — An early progress report on President Barack Obama's economic recovery plan overstates by thousands the number of jobs created or saved through the stimulus program, a mistake that White House officials promise will be corrected in future reports.

Police: SC state attorney caught with stripper  —  COLUMBIA, S.C. — A deputy assistant attorney general who said he was on his lunch break when an officer found him with a stripper and sex toys in his sport utility vehicle has been fired, his boss said Wednesday.

Did Schwarzenegger say f**k you to legislature?  —  Did Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger mean to hide a message in this note?  —  (CNN) - Was Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's message to state lawmakers unhappy - or obscene?  —  That's the current debate in California after the governor sent a letter directed to …

Republican vs. Conservative  —  Which side are the Democrats against?  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  You might have heard about the unusual election next week in New York's 23rd Congressional District.  It's unusual for several reasons: It's taking place in an odd-numbered year, there was no primary, and there are three candidates.

It's all a big circle for the Democrats  —  Senator John Kerry seems to be emerging as President Obama's go-to person for foreign policy advice on critical issues.  This must be rather galling for Vice President Biden and especially Secretary of State Clinton.

Shortage of Vaccine Poses Political Test for Obama  —  WASHINGTON — The moment a novel strain of swine flu emerged in Mexico last spring, President Obama instructed his top advisers that his administration would not be caught flat-footed in the event of a deadly pandemic.